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Nanotechnology scientists are trying to find substitutes for rare-earth materials as China moves to tighten supply. Researchers from the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands have developed a replacement for indium tin oxide -- a crucial material used in electronic displays. Through the use of carbon nanotubes and a latex polymer, the researchers were able to create conductor materials that can replace layers of indium tin oxide.

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The Department of Energy has opened the Critical Materials Hub, a research initiative based at the Ames National Laboratory in Iowa that will focus on developing extraction technologies to increase the supply of rare-earth materials. The project, which has a five-year budget of $120 million, is one of five such centers established by the Energy Department.

Nanotechnology scientists are trying to find substitutes for rare-earth materials as China moves to tighten supply. Researchers from the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands have developed a replacement for indium tin oxide -- a crucial material used in electronic displays. Through the use of carbon nanotubes and a latex polymer, the researchers were able to create conductor materials that can replace layers of indium tin oxide.

While the rising price of oil has many lawmakers concerned, the soaring cost of lesser-known chemicals, called rare-earth elements, is also a potential problem. The chemicals are vital for the defense, high-tech and green energy industries, and prices started to rise after China briefly cut off supplies during a dispute with Japan over fishing rights.

The Materials Research Society and the American Physical Society have urged the U.S. government to take action to secure the country's supply of "energy-critical" chemical elements. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., proposed a bill Thursday that would task the U.S. Geological Survey with tracking world supply of such materials. "With the importance of these materials for defense and the development of a robust clean-energy industry, it's now vital that we rebuild our domestic rare-earths industry," Udall said.

The high demand for rare-earth elements such as neodymium, which is used to build magnets in some next-generation wind turbines, could lead to shortages that may derail efforts to expand the renewable-energy industry, writes industry observer Chris Rhodes. China, which supplies 97% of the world's rare-earth elements, could restrict exports to supply its own renewable-energy sector, jeopardizing clean-technology industries in the U.S. and other countries, Rhodes adds.